HEART patients in Merseyside are denied a life saving operation – but the procedure is being performed in Liverpool on people from outside the region.

The North West Specialised Commissioning Group (NWSCG) has told hospitals that it will not fund the heart valve treatment Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

However, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital will continue to perform the operation on patients from outside the North West where it has been funded.

TAVI is an alternative to surgical valve replacement for people who need a new aortic heart valve.

It does not require open heart surgery and is suited for older, frailer people where such surgery would be too risky.

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital can now only offer TAVI to patients from Wales and the Isle of Man, where funding for the treatment is approved.

Most other regions in England have also approved the treatment.

The UK TAVI Forum, which brings together clinicians, patient representatives and charities, is calling on the NWSCG to reconsider its decision.